From Checking Kings to Influencing Presidents

Published: March 26, 2005

Garry Kasparov is certain that his place in history as a chess player is secure. But now he says he has a new goal: nothing less than achieving real democracy in Russia.

Mr. Kasparov, the world's top-ranked player for the last 20 years, announced on March 10 that he was retiring from competition. On Sunday he discussed his legacy and plans in an interview at a Manhattan hotel.

''I don't think that someone else can do what I did,'' Mr. Kasparov said. ''It is hard to keep the No.1 rating for five years. That would already be an accomplishment.''

Although he is 41, past the usual peak for chess players, Mr. Kasparov's announcement took many fans by surprise. He had just won his second elite tournament in a row and seemed to be playing with a vigor that he had not shown in some time. No one has retired while ranked as the world's top player since the American Paul Morphy did in 1859.

Mr. Kasparov said his decision had been building for some time. He said it was partly fueled by his frustration with the World Chess Federation because it had been unable to arrange a match between him and its current champion, Rustam Kasimdzhanov. But ''I had no more goals in chess,'' he continued, adding, ''I want to do things that excite me.''

His priority now, he said, is to help drive President Vladimir V. Putin from power. ''Democracy does not exist in Russia right now,'' he said emphatically.

Over his career, Mr. Kasparov has rarely, if ever, been prone to self-doubt. In 1985, at 22, he became the youngest world champion in history. Known for enormous creativity and energy at the board, he has always been reluctant to admit that someone, or something, might be his equal at chess. After he lost a 1997 match to Deep Blue, a computer developed by I.B.M., he accused the company and the computer's programmers of cheating by having grandmasters help it find the best moves.

Mr. Kasparov's interest in politics is not new. For years, he has written op-ed articles for The Wall Street Journal critical of Russia's government and of Mr. Putin, whom he recently compared to Caligula. In the early 1990's he was briefly involved with the Democratic Party of Russia and supported Aleksandr I. Lebed's unsuccessful presidential bid in 1996.

In January 2004, he helped form Committee 2008: Free Choice, a group that includes disaffected politicians and journalists who want Mr. Putin to step down or at least ensure that the constitution is not changed to allow him to run for a third term in 2008.

Although Mr. Putin has denied plans to run again, Mr. Kasparov expressed doubts. ''We think the government is testing the waters to see if the president can be appointed for life,'' he said.

Since Mr. Kasparov's announcement of his retirement from chess and fresh focus on politics, some in Russia have questioned his prospects and commitment, partly because he has helped found and then abandoned political parties.

Some criticism has followed predictable party lines. In a radio interview, Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky, the nationalist leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, dismissed Mr. Kasparov's move as his biggest mistake.

But even some like-minded politicians have raised doubts. Grigory A. Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko Party, suggested that Mr. Kasparov had yet to prove his political acumen. ''Let him try to create a party, and succeed or fail,'' he told the magazine Itogi. ''And we will talk to him after that.''

The Kremlin, not surprisingly, has said nothing.

Mr. Kasparov, who lives in Moscow and has made millions of dollars from chess and endorsements, said he had recently hired bodyguards for himself and his family. His second wife, from whom he is divorced, and his 8-year-old son also live in Moscow, and in June, he plans to marry again.

''Am I scared about our safety?'' he asked. ''Seriously concerned. It is a dangerous game.''

While Mr. Kasparov is concentrating on politics, he is not turning his back on chess. He is writing a book, ''How Life Imitates Chess,'' about applying lessons from the game to everyday decisions. He said he also planned to complete his series, ''Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors,'' about chess champions who came before him. The fourth of Mr. Kasparov's 10 planned books, about Bobby Fischer, ''Garry Kasparov on Fischer,'' was published recently by Everyman Chess.

He also plans to continue working with his Kasparov Chess Foundation to promote teaching the game in schools.

And what about playing top-level competitive chess again? ''Could I imagine a day in 6 months, or 12 months, when I wake up and say, 'Oh, I can't live without this?''' he said. ''It's possible. But I have other things I want to do now.''

Still, the pull of competition remains strong. As the interview drew to a close, Mr. Kasparov logged on to his laptop to check results from the Melody Amber tournament in Monte Carlo. Many of the world's best players were there.

''Anand is four out of four,'' he said, referring to the world's No. 2 player, Viswanathan Anand. ''Bravo. He is encouraged now that I am out.''

Photo: Garry Kasparov, now retired from chess, plans to focus on politics. (Photo by Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times)